Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan urged the European Union on Monday to separate Türkiye’s decades-long membership bid from political disputes, using high-level talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul to push for a greater Turkish role in Europe’s defense framework.
Speaking after the meetings, Fidan said Ankara expected the EU and European Commission President to evaluate Türkiye’s candidacy “independently of political motivations.”
“Our fundamental expectation from the European Union is that relations with Türkiye and our EU candidacy process be conducted independently of political motivations,” Fidan said.
He warned that excluding Türkiye from European defense and security initiatives contradicted Europe’s own strategic goals at a time of rising instability stretching from Ukraine to Gaza and Iran.
Türkiye, led by President Recep Tayp Erdoğan, has increasingly argued that Europe cannot establish an effective security system without Ankara’s military capabilities, defense industry and geopolitical reach.
Germany signaled a more pragmatic tone during the talks. Wadephul said Türkiye should be included in industrial and defense planning wherever interests overlap between NATO allies and EU partners.
“In areas where we have common goals and interests, Türkiye must always be considered and included when developing industrial and defense policies,” Wadephul said.
The discussions came ahead of NATO’s July summit in Ankara, where alliance leaders are expected to debate military spending, defense production and Europe’s long-term strategic posture against Russia.
Türkiye formally applied for membership in the EU in 1987 and began accession negotiations in 2005. The process later stalled amid disputes involving democratic standards, human rights concerns and the unresolved Cyprus conflict between Türkiye, Greece and the Republic of Cyprus.
Beyond security issues, both sides highlighted growing economic cooperation. Fidan said bilateral trade between Germany and Türkiye had reached around $52 billion and could climb to $60 billion in the coming years.
Germany remains Türkiye’s largest European trading partner and home to the world’s largest Turkish diaspora outside Türkiye.
Fidan also used the Berlin platform to address wider regional crises, calling for preservation of the ceasefire involving Iran and warning that renewed conflict would trigger severe economic and political consequences worldwide.
He additionally condemned Israel’s intervention against the Global Sumud Fleet, describing the incident as a violation of international law and an act of piracy.